Press Release

Shangri-La Hotel, Suzhou Unveils New Menu at Shang Palace

1 June 2014

Shangri-La Hotel, Suzhou launches a new menu at its premier Chinese restaurant, Shang Palace. The new, more budget-friendly menu is abundant in variety, with more Huaiyang and local dishes, and uses fresh and healthy ingredients. The chefs incorporate innovative elements with classic ones in their cooking techniques.

For reservations or more information, please call (86 512) 6808 0168 extension 6498. Terms and conditions apply, and reservations are subject to availability.

A selection of new Huaiyang-style dishes will be added, increasing the total number from 10 to 24 dishes. Thus, guests can have more choices, from Huaiyang Lion Head, Braised Bean Curd with Crab Roe, Boiled Sliced Bean Curd Skin and Salted Goose, Braised Goose, Braised Chicken with Sliced Abalone to Braised Fish Head.

More varieties of appetizers, soups, vegetarian dishes and dim sum have been added. The new menu highlights a selection of local desserts. Recommendations are Boiled Euryale Seeds with Osmanthus Flavour and Boiled Mini Glutinous Rice Ball with Fermented Glutinous Rice Soup.

In terms of cooking technique, Chef Xu insists on incorporating modern, innovative elements into classic ones. The hand-made dishes at Shang Palace preserve the traditional cooking method, as embodied in such newly added dishes as Double-Boiled Chicken Soup with Fish Ball and Stewed Egg Dumpling and Baby Cabbage in Clay-Pot, as well as the signature dish, Stir-Fried Lake Shrimp with Euryale Seed. To prevent breaking the shrimps when dressed by the machine and to make them tastier, the shrimps are hand-dressed for saucing. Another highlight in the new menu is the diversified cooking techniques consisting of heating, stewing, simmering, braising, boiling, frying, deep-frying and roasting.

The turn to innovative cooking focuses mainly on simplifying and standardising the procedure. With Stir-Fried Lake Shrimp with Euryale Seed, for example, after salting the shrimps, they are kept in the fridge to seal the flavour. Before cooking, the shrimps are divided in equal portions. Furthermore, the condiments are standardised to ensure that each dish has the same flavour and quality. During cooking, the watering process is skipped to maintain the dish’s temperature, allowing it to be served directly.

Chef Xu’s pursuit for freshness has resulted in his delicate dishes. He travels to the food market or farmland every week by himself to search for the most seasonal and greenest products. Local free-range eggs and old cucumbers are some of his favourites. He uses wild silver fish and black crap from Tai Lake for Tai Lake Silver Fish Soup and Suzhou-Style Fried Fish.

The lotus pond water hydrangea consists of eight water plants, namely, gorgon fruit, lotus root, arrowhead, cress, chufa, water chestnut, water shield and cane shoot. The seasonal ingredients are paired with ginkgo, black fungus and beans to feature the regional specialties.

“Shang Palace is a premier venue for business and family gatherings. The newly launched menu will present abundant Huaiyang, local and Cantonese cuisines for guests to savour, together with the elegant dining atmosphere that will make every meal a delightful experience at Shangri-La Hotel, Suzhou,” said Susanna Li, hotel general manager.

Shang Palace provides a menu featuring local seasonal ingredients, including 13 dish categories like signature dishes, appetizers, barbecued and marinated dishes, bird’s nest, abalone, sea cucumber, soups, the freshest fishes and so on. The menu is designed in an elegant style and covered with Chinese red and Shang Palace gold foil. For the convenience of guests, all dishes have a respective photo. Moreover, dishes that contain nuts, pork and spicy are noted to remind guests who have allergies or on a diet of certain foods.

Shang Palace is located on the second level of Shangri-La Hotel, Suzhou. With a capacity of 208 seats, it is equipped with eight modern decorated private dining rooms. It opens from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for lunch and from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. for dinner.